Birthstone of the Nation

Fortress Monroe Hampton, VA

This moated fortification was built between 1819 and 1835. The fort is constructed mostly of granite, but the Main Sally Port is composed of sandstone. Some of the brick residences located within the fort and just outside are trimmed with freestone. Records from the National Archives list the ships that carried the freestone but not the quarries from which the stone was extracted. Oral tradition credits the Aquia Creek region. (Jack E. Boucher, Historic American Buildings Survey/Library of Congress photo)